The burden of history, May 19th

I do not share Charlemagne's sympathy for the airing of historical grievances from the new EU member states. It is important to learn from historical mistakes and their examination can form part of a cathartic process in achieving closure particularly where violent tragedy has occurred, but there must also be a statute of limitation if sanity is to prevail.

Decades after the event, what possible use does it serve to revive injustices of the past, perceived or otherwise? Surely all this can do is to further encourage xenophobic conflicts that have and continue to bring misery to so many people. Whilst the EU should give a sympathetic ear to historical grievances it should at the same time encourage the new member states to repeat the success of courageous communities (such as those of Northern Ireland) who have worked hard to forgive the past, thus providing a peaceful legacy for future generations.

Instead of referring to the Soviet monuments in Berlin, the German Ambassador to the EU may have done better to quote George Bernard Shaw: 'We are made wise not by the recollection of the past but by the responsibility for our future.'

Lucio ZentilinBrisbane, Australia

SIR —

You write: "Other countries took much longer (than Germany) to break with post-war silence and myth-making (France springs to mind)." And what about Britain? Norman Davies in his book “Europa at War” called the strategic bombing of civilian quarters of German cities until the last days of war in spring of 1945 a crime. This strategy came from Britain and caused about half as many victims, mainly women and children, as the Armenian genocide. And they died all too often as cruelly as did the Armenians.

Reinhard BuddeBegnins, Switzerland

SIR —

The EU has a tin ear for national history, says Charlemagne. Governments have a lead ear for European history and maths. The German presidency spent millions promoting the ‘50th Birthday of the EU’ on 23 March and ‘Together since 1957’. Quatsch! Europeans celebrated Schuman Day on May 9th, honouring the proposal of Robert Schuman, a former French foreign minister, to ‘make war not only unthinkable but materially impossible.’ Impressive majorities in all parliaments voted agreement on its principles.

Do Germans now want to forget that the Paris Treaty signed on 18 April 1951 created Europe’s first Community, not the Rome treaties? Konrad Adenauer, then Germany's chancellor, together with other founding fathers issued a European declaration that this day defined the ‘real establishment of an organized Europe.’ None, including Adenauer, made such a declaration in 1957. When deGaulle took power in 1958, he declared his intention to Alain Peyrefitte to ‘suffocate’ and ‘chloroform’ European democracy by refusing direct elections to European institutions. Today’s Council and an estimated 1500 unelected committees still deal in secret on every aspect of citizens’ livelihoods, from planetary climate change to toothpaste-tube sizes. Schumansaid committees and councils should be under control of public opinion. The secrecy game is up. Willful amnesia of Europe’s original democratic principles will ensure future treaties won’t pass simultaneous public opinion controls in all 27 states. Truth will out.

David H PriceBrussels

SIR —

Charlemagne dismisses the idea that Estonia has something to learn from Germany's attitude to history. Germany has done nothing about the Soviet war memorial in Berlin, even though it is right next to Brandenburger Tor and the Reichstag. Why are the two countries' attitudes toward Soviet history not comparable. The only reason I can think of is that Estonia was annexed while the GDR was a Soviet puppet regime, and that is hardly a big difference.